hoolah | GRAYE: A Capsule Collection Reminiscent of an Ancient Tang Dynasty Art

For its latest capsule collection, homegrown fashion label GRAYE pays homage to the sacred craft of tie-dyeing that has roots in ancient China.

Veering away from its typical ready-to-wear menswear garment, homegrown fashion label GRAYE recently released an all-inclusive capsule collection — entitled “Indigo” — featuring T-shirts based around indigo dye.

From left to right: “Hills”, “Mountain Ridges”, “Waves”, and “Windows” form the five unique inspirations that shape the collection.

Still staying true to its philosophy of “The Modern Zen Lifestyle”, the Singaporean label draws references for the collection from nature and architectural elements to evoke a sense of calmness. Patterns from “Indigo” easily call to mind rolling waves and mountainous silhouettes, and its indigo dye is based from organic and raw plants.

Tie-dying is an ancient art that dates as early as the Tang Dynasty, and Indigo hues form the basis for the GRAYE’s capsule collection.

With roots that linger on into the Tang dynasty, the age-old craft of tie-dying is a well-kept secret amongst the artisan crafters from the villages of Dali in the Yunnan Province. Fascinated by this elusive charm of the craft, GRAYE’s expert craftsmen set out to infuse modern creations with heritage traditions.

Interweaving sustainable practices into the pieces of the collection, GRAYE holds reverence to the environment by recycling residual plant matter (which was used to create the indigo dyes) into compost while the water used went to irrigation. The result? Five arresting designs, each imbued with its own hand-dyed imperfections and no one piece of the cotton T-shirt is the same.